


i know why (and so do you)

by twistyladder



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Angst (tm), Hopeful Ending, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 21:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15957596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistyladder/pseuds/twistyladder
Summary: Jedi General Kit Fisto and his loyal Clone Commander Monnk go on a risky scouting mission into a remote underwater cave. When Monnk suffers a catastrophic equipment malfunction, Kit finds a... creative way to save his life.





	i know why (and so do you)

According to the Republic’s latest intel, the Separatists were developing a dangerous biological weapon in a top-secret lab; something so sensitive it had to be isolated in a deep underwater cave system. Obviously, there was only one team for the job- Jedi General Kit Fisto and his scuba troopers.

Taking a small squad down for an initial search, the General split them into groups of two, including pairing himself off with his right-hand man, Clone Commander Monnk. As the caves branched off, the groups gradually separated until it was just the two of them. This deep in the cave, the light from outside quickly diminished until the only illumination came from the lamp attached to Monnk’s helmet.

Abruptly, they turned a corner and found themselves staring at a wall as they came to the end of the tunnel.

“Huh,” Monnk grunted, treading water and turning to illuminate the wall to his left with his headlamp. General Fisto inspected the opposite side, his sensitive eyes allowing him to see well enough without a direct light.

Monnk was just about to call it a loss when his light caught upon a small raised shape at about eye-level on the wall that seemed to form an unnaturally perfect 90-degree angle. Kicking his legs, he swam closer. Now that he was really looking, he could see that it was in fact a cleverly disguised metal lid, likely for some kind of keypad.

“Sir, I think I’ve found something!” he announced, and heard a ripple behind him as the General turned to swim towards him. “It looks like a keypad cover- I’m going to try to pry it off so we can slice into it.”

“Commander, be careful-” General Fisto warned, but Monnk had already pulled the cover off of the wall with surprising ease- and then he realized his mistake. He just barely caught a glimpse of exposed wires and a very brief digital countdown before he was blasted backwards by an explosion.

Monnk felt himself slam into the opposite wall of the cave- fortunately not colliding with the General in the process- and slid down to land awkwardly on the stone floor of the cave. He then realized with dawning horror that while he didn’t feel seriously injured, he also couldn’t feel his helmet on his head- and he _could_ feel the sensation of cold water buffeting his face.

Fighting the urge to panic- panic meant near certain death in situations like this- Monnk reached behind himself to attempt to grab his helmet, but couldn’t seem to locate it. He was quickly growing lightheaded, most of the air having been knocked out of him when he hit the wall.

Then, through the distortion of the water and the lingering ringing in his ears, he heard the voice of his Jedi. “Commander? Are you all right?” General Fisto sounded concerned, but not pained; Monnk was at least glad he hadn’t gotten him killed as well.

The best reply Monnk could give was a strained grunt, more bubbles of air escaping to the ceiling of the cave. He knew he wouldn’t stay conscious for much longer- the urge to inhale despite the water surrounding him was growing more intense by the second. He just hoped that the booby trap he’d sprung was defending an actual entrance to that Separatist base, that he’d at least done some service to the Republic-

Suddenly, he felt cool hands grasping his face, gently but firmly holding him steady. Monnk forced himself to open his eyes despite the encroaching darkness and saw, in the dim light cast from wherever his headlamp had fallen, the alien yet so familiar face of his General, framed by his multitude of head tendrils. His bottomless, unblinking eyes stared back into his, and he opened his mouth to speak.

Monnk could just barely make out what he said: “Commander, I need you to trust me.” He had no idea what the Jedi was talking about, but he nodded- what use was he if he didn’t trust his General to the very end?

Then, General Fisto did just about the last thing he expected- maintaining his grip on the sides of Monnk’s head, he leaned forward and kissed him.

Monnk thought for sure that he must be dead. He was either dead or on his way there, and his brain was coming up with bizarre, impossible fantasies about his ~~disarmingly attractive~~ Jedi general in his final moments.

But then, one of the hands on his face shifted, and a thumb insinuated itself between his lips as if trying to pry his mouth open. Too dazed from a combination of sheer confusion and lack of oxygen to resist, he complied, and- suddenly his mouth was full of air, pushed into him by the General’s own mouth.

Unable to question what strange quirk of biology even made this possible, Monnk gulped in a precious lungful. His faculties immediately began to return to him, enough to register how ridiculous it was that he was disappointed when the General pulled away, his characteristic grin on his face.

“There you are, Commander. Let me breathe for you until we can get your helmet fixed.”

Fixing his helmet took several minutes- one of the air hoses had been irreparably torn, and needed to be completely sealed off so that water wouldn’t leak in when he put the bucket back on. The process was made lengthier by the fact that every thirty seconds or so, the General paused to give Monnk another breath of air. 

Monnk forced himself not to think about how he was quickly becoming accustomed to the feeling of the Jedi’s mouth against his, his lips cool from the water yet soft, repeatedly and patiently saving his life. _His_ life- a clone commander but a clone all the same, and he didn’t have the breath to spare to argue that the General should focus instead on completing the mission. Yet time and time again he fed life-giving air into his lungs, holding his face gently as if this were not a life-or-death situation, as if they, impossibly- Monnk shut down that train of thought once again. Jedi had rules about that sort of thing anyway, and he shouldn’t jump to any far-fetched conclusions, no matter what his deepest and most carefully hidden feelings wanted.

Finally (too soon), they successfully got the helmet watertight once again, and the General carefully helped him reconnect the remaining intact air tube and place it back on his head, cutting him off from both the cold water and the feeling of the Jedi’s hands on him. It automatically sealed back in place, the cavity around his nose and mouth immediately filling with air and allowing him to breathe normally once again. 

Monnk found himself wishing, not for the first time, but perhaps more strongly than ever, that he didn’t need all this equipment to operate underwater, so he could swim as freely as his General. But then again, if it wasn’t for that damned helmet, none of this would have happened, would it?

“General, I-” Monnk stammered as soon as he could speak. “You didn’t have to do that for me. This mission is too important.”

General Fisto frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder, firm enough that he could at least feel the pressure through his armor. “I was not about to let you die, Commander- not when I could do something about it. Too many times have I been powerless to save the lives of others. This war has already seen enough senseless deaths, don’t you think?”

Monnk lowered his head, unable to look him in the eye. “I- I won’t question your judgement, General. And… thank you. I owe you my life.”

“You owe me no such thing, Commander,” said the Jedi, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze before letting go. “Besides, it certainly wasn’t a hardship on my part.”

Somewhat startled, Monnk looked back up, wondering if he was misinterpreting what the General had said. The Nautolan had his usual smile on his face, but if he wasn’t mistaken, he almost looked… sheepish?

Monnk couldn’t help but smile back, not that it was visible under his helmet. “It certainly was a rather agreeable way of avoiding death, Sir.”

General Fisto chuckled. “I’m glad you agree, Commander Monnk. Now, shall we go tell the others we’ve found our entrance?”

“Lead the way, Sir.”

And with that, the two of them turned to swim back out the way they came, with Monnk watching his Jedi’s back and wondering if perhaps his feelings weren’t so hopeless after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Before anyone says anything, I fully realize that the events of this fic make no sense from a biological standpoint. However, Kit Fisto does this exact thing with Aayla Secura in an official (although no longer canon) Star Wars comic, so I feel fully justified in having written this. Also, shoutout to the singular other person who has posted a fic on here with Commander Monnk in it.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
